On sports media.

Viewers Lap Up `Sportscentury,' Warts And All

December 27, 1999|By Ed Sherman.

You have to hand it to ESPN. Its "SportsCentury" series might have been one of the best television marketing jobs of the century.

ESPN actually convinced people it had the final say over who was the best athlete of the 1900s. Viewers took the rankings seriously, as if Michael Jordan received a $100,000 bonus for being named No. 1 Sunday.

Will there be a celebration Monday at Grant Park?

The fact is, the voters for this prestigious honor were only slightly more qualified than you and me. The "blue-ribbon" panel of 48 selectors included some old-timers like Shirley Povich of the Washington Post and Jim Murray of the Los Angeles Times, both now deceased. But at least half of the "experts," as Dan Patrick called them on Sunday's show, had an ESPN connection, including Patrick himself. The opinions of anchors such as Chris Berman, Charley Steiner and Robin Roberts were providing the fodder for all those barroom arguments.

This was like the Food Channel selecting a chef of the century.

Would it have made any difference if ESPN had gathered a bunch of sports historians to do the ranking--or the guys down at the end of the bar? Probably not, because everyone has an opinion, and no two are quite the same.

The panelists couldn't even agree on the nature of the criteria. One said the use of sports statistics made the voting an objective exercise. But another said comparing athletes of different sports and eras was subjectivity at its highest.

"There are no right or wrong answers in this," Roberts said. "The fact that we've caused this great debate is what it's all about."

ESPN stirred the debate beautifully, owning the story--and the century. Sports Illustrated made a mediocre attempt with its own prime-time show this month, showing it still does magazines better than television.

"We do sports every single day," Patrick said. "I was proud of the [selection] process we came up with. It wasn't a scientific process, but the people involved care deeply about sports."

Viewers obviously identified with the ESPN brand. The quality of the "SportsCentury" shows lured people into the tent. The weekly countdowns built their interest.

Walter Payton's ranking was the first time it hit home here that people cared. The great running back placed 39th on the list. Suddenly, there was outrage in Chicago that Payton had been rated so low. Angry callers jammed the talk shows.

At that point, ESPN had to know it had a winner. If people are talking, people are watching, even if they disagree.

The final masterstrokewas the last shows over the weekend. ESPN kept the exact order of the four finalists a mystery. Besides coordinating producer Mark Shapiro, perhaps the only other people who knew were at Nike. Was it a coincidence that Jordan's other empire advertised heavily Sunday when he was showcased?

Naturally, this corner was wrong again with the prediction that Jordan would finish third. We'll put that in the garbage can with "No way Tiger wins 1997 Masters, Sherman says."

Everybody knew that Jim Brown would be fourth, but there was genuine surprise when Muhammad Ali came in at No. 3 Friday night. ESPN kept the suspense going for Sunday's show, not revealing who was No. 1 until the end. Since Jordan's profile came first, it was assumed that Babe Ruth would be named the century's best. So, surprise, surprise, it's Michael.

Jordan obviously benefited from playing in the television era. If he had done his deeds in the 1920s, as Ruth did, his feats wouldn't have been as clear and vivid to the memory.

If this corner had a vote, it would have been for the other Babe--Didrikson Zaharias. If a man wins gold medals in track and U.S. Opens in golf, as Zaharias did, he wins this thing hands down.

But the winner is Jordan, as always. Now it is on to the next century. The early contenders for that century's honors are Tiger Woods, Ken Griffey Jr. and Marion Jones. However, given ESPN's influence and the growing popularity of its X Games, the top athlete of the 21st Century probably will be jumping off cliffs on a skateboard.

The wrap-up: Shapiro checked his voice mail Sunday night when he arrived in Los Angeles. "It was filled with people saying, `How could you guys pick Jordan?,"' he said. "I love it." (hellip) The voting was supposed to be based on athletic performance only. Yet obviously the social impact made by Ali at No. 3 and Jackie Robinson at No. 15 contributed to their high rankings. "It was impossible to ignore," said the Boston Globe's Bob Ryan, a voter. (hellip) For those who want to relive the "SportsCentury" top 50, the individual shows will run Thursday and Friday on ESPN2, and then back-to-back beginning at 6 a.m. Saturday on ESPN Classic.